Molly in ‘Pink’

Press, 24 April 1986, Page 10

Molly in ‘Pink’

Molly Ringwald, who is quickly establishing herself as the leading personality among the new rash of Hollywood teenage actors, has reached the stage of success where virtually every moment of her day has been scheduled. She visited Australia last week to promote her new film, “Pretty in Pink,” which will start at the Midcity today. In a phone call from Melbourne, Molly apologised that she did not have time to visit New Zealand. Molly said she had to rush back to the United States to resume studies at the Lycee Francais, a classy West Los Angeles high school. She had used her spring break to fly down-under to publicise the film. Aged 18, Molly still takes her studies seriously, but has also managed to cram films and two TV movies into the past four years or so. Born in Sacramanto, California, in 1968, she began her career at the age of three, singing songs with the Great Pacific Jazz Band, led by her father, the blind jazz pianist-banjo player, Bob Ringwald. Two years later, she had already cut her first L.P., “Molly sings.” At the age of 13, Molly won a Golden Glove nomination for best new actress for her role in her first film, Paul Mazursky’s “Tempest.” Her next film was the disastrous “Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.” “It was a hideous film,” Molly recalled, “but I didn’t have much say. The director and writer were changed, but I had to

stay on. I certainly learnt a lot.” It was then that she was introduced to John Hughes, the directorscreenwriter of “Sixteen Candles,” in which Molly appeared. After the success of that teen-orien-tated film, Hughes offered her choice roles in his ever-more-ambi-tious “The Breakfast club” and “Preny in Pink.” In “Pretty in Pink” Molly plays a sensitive girl from a poor, broken family fighting for identity in a rich kids’ school. “Basically,” says Molly, “it’s about pride and hon-

our, and respecting who you are.” “It is through my work with John Hughes that I have been associated with all the recent teenage films, but we have been making our films ever more serious — far removed from the other junky teenage stuff,” Molly said. “I would like myself and my films to be taken seriously. At the age of 18, I would like to go on the same way I am going, now for a while yet. Then, I would like to try my hand at writing and directing,” Molly said.